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Book Review of The Madonnas of Echo Park

The Madonnas of Echo Park
SF-SabrosO avatar reviewed on + 6 more book reviews


I am just finishing up this first novel by Brando Skyhorse and I wanted to give it high praise! I found the intertwining stories and characters interesting and compelling. The book illustrates tales from folks who are usually overlooked - Mexican American busboys, maids, bank tellers and bus drivers from Echo Park, near Los Angeles. The writing was quite eloquent and many times I envisioned myself right there with the characters in the 1980s, dancing to Madonna on the street in front of a convenience store in Echo Park, or shopping at the Glendale Mall, filling out an application to work at Contempo Casuals! The book details their stories as they experience the changes in their lives and neighborhood over the years. The author documents the characters dealing with the issues of remembering their roots while embracing their identities as full-fledged Americans, but doesn't do it in a preachy, ideological way.